Heat mover



sept. 4, 1951 'M. A. POWERS HEAT MOVER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 `Filed July 30, 1946 HT TURA/EY' Sept 4, 1951 M. A. POWERS 2,566,630

` HEAT Mes/ER Filed July 30, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 HTTOR/VEV Patented Sept. 4, 11.951

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HEAT MOVER Milton A. Powers, Detroit, Mich. Application Jury 30, 1946, Serial No. 687,172'

(C1. sas-+39) 7 Claims. 1

"This invention relates to apparatus for circuf lating and redistributing air within a confined space such as that afforded by one or more rooms of a house. More specifically, the present invention is primarily concerned with 'an attempt towards equalization of temperatures within the living quarters o'f a house heated in 'such manner that the normal tendency is for most of the warmed air to rise lto the ceiling zone.' Practically all heating systems Vare such that the ceiling zone must be overheated to. obtain comfortable temperatures at lower levels, and in many cases it is impossible 'to attain an adequate temperature at any level adjacent the floor.

For example, in smallhomes having no basement and therefore Ano heating plant below the house, it is impossible to maintain a safe tern'- perature at the iioor, and this is particularly true of houses wherein only one room contains a heating unit. Moreover, in the latter type of house, heat is localized around lthe heating unit and concentrated at the ceiling thereabove. It has been proposed to use Yfans to remedy this condition, but the usual tendency has been to create undesirable drafts without suilicient equalization of temperatures.

' It is the primary object of the present 'invention to devise a simple heat mover and mount 4it in Ysuch manner that -the air within one or more rooms can 'be circulated and redistributed adequately to provide comfortable and 'healthful temperature conditions. vIn this connection it is an important object to properly locat'ean elec= tric fan unit within the house and to design it for convenient and substantially universal ad-v justment.

Another major object of my invention resides in the provision of a heat mover of the character above mentioned which is light, `com-pact and inexpensive, and which has an almost negligible power requirement.

It is an object of this invention to mount an air circulator upon a door jamb or a window easement, and to devise a clamping means for a'djustably supporting the circulator in such position.

A further Aobject is to' Aconstruct a circulating apparatus from a roughly L-'shaped and adjust'- able supporting bracket and an electric fan mounted upon one end of said bracket. In this connection further objects are to make the bracket in detachable sections for compact packaging and storage and for easy dismounting and reassembly; and to make the bracket vhollow so 2 that -it may at least partially house an elongated electric cord;

It is another major obeot to devise a new and improved mounting for supporting an electric motor casing; and fit Vis also an object to utilize the mounting for support of a fan blade guard in vnovel manner.r

The foregoing and additional vobjects of the present .invention should become fully apparent from `a study 'of lthe following `description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a face View of a preferred embodiment of the invention, shown attached to a door or window frame in one position of adjustment.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side 'elevational View of the ian-assembly of Fig. 1.,-broken away from its' sup-V porting bracket.

Fig. 3 represents an enlarged section taken sub-V stantially upon the plane of line 3-3, Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary View similar to Fig. l but showing the supporting bracket swung to ane other position land the fan -unit oscillated relative to the bracket.

Fig. 5 represents ran enlarged ldetail View of the supporting clamp in section, taken along the plane of vline 55, Fig. 1.

Fig. -6 lshows a portion of an arrangement of a plurality of rooms', one of which 'contains a space heater and wherein my `circulating unit is mou-nt;- ed to lforce war-m air Yinto an unheated roo-m.

With continued reference to the drawings, the

numeral TI designates a rectangular trame that may' 'be Veither -a door arn'b or a window case ment. To one vertical side inem-ber of this frame there is secured by four wood screws -rI-ll, a cla-mp consisting of a pair hf I --shaped brackets B which naive vertically aligned `circular apertures 9 and which are spaced apart to receive a sleeve Il. The latter is integral with the brackets or may be rigidly .4 attached thereto; as .by welding. sleeve H :car-ries a manually operable set screw t2 cooperable with a straight rod or pipe I 3 that passes -if-reely lthrough fthe aligned apertures 9. By loosening the set screw, the pipe may be oscill'ated and/or vertically adjusted.

The pipe I3 terms one vsection of .-a two-part stanchion whichi :as presently fseen, supports an electric fan. lThe `second vsection comprises a vertical pipe 1.4 rig-idly joined .to the pipe .I3 by a coupler I'5 .and bent near .its upper end vto proa vide .a horizontal extension Iz. Just above the coupler 15 the pipe I'4 has an eyelet or bushing ll through which are [passed the wires i8 of an electric cord designed to bevioonnected `in con- The ventional manner to any convenient electrical outlet. The wires I8 extend through and beyond the pipe elements I4, I for connection to an electric motor. The wires obviously could be entered into and passed through the pipe I3, and such would be done if the pipes I3 and I4 were formed in one piece but, for conveniencefof assembling and disassembling the entire bracket (which preferably is made in two parts for compact packaging and to facilitate movement from one clamp to another) the wires pass only through the pipe I 4. It follows that the member I3 could lbe formed as a solid rod.

The motor mounting per se comprises a U- shaped device 20 which has a base 2| through which the outer end of pipe I6 freely projects, and which has two parallel sides 22 terminating in a pair of narrow arms 23. The extremities of these arms are cylindrically curved and attached, as by screws 2 4l or any other suitable means, to a semi-cylindrical band 25 that straddles a motor casing 26. The casing has three recesses 2l, equally spaced circumferentially and facing the band 25 which, as shown, has three complemental apertures. A flanged pin or button 28, of soft rubber or the like is fitted tightly between each recess and its complemental aperture to afford a noiseless and vibration-absorbing clamp for the motor and its .fan blades 29. The ends of the band 25 are sufficiently resilient to permit them to be sprung outwardly for insertion and removal of the motor.

The average size of the fan, for home use is about eight inches (diameter), and its motor has a capacity of Vonly about 1/250 horsepower. II'he entire dismantled apparatus may be packed for shipment in a box about x 8 x 24 inches. A model of this size has been built and very effectively operated. l

One of the wires I8 is connected directly to the motor and the other passes rst through a switch 30 that is secured to the mounting base 2l by a sleeve nut 3|. A pull chain 32 is connected to the switch 3i) to control the motor.

The plates 22 are wide enough to provide a pair of integral wings 33 in offset relation to the arms 23. These wings are cylindrically curved with respect tothe fan axis and are secured by screws or other suitable means to a correspondingly curved guard ring 34. This ring surrounds the fan blades` and its entrance side is flared outwardly, as shown, to cause a greater and smoother ow of air than would be obtainable otherwise. If desired, a detachable grill in the shape of a disc maybe fitted to the flared entrance rim, this being advisable when the apparatus is mounted as in Fig. 6..

The fan unit is stabilized relative to the pipe element I6 by fitting a small U-member 35 between the arms 23, to which it may be rigidly secured by welding. The base of member 35 is apertured to permit the pipe I6 to project freely therethrough, and an end cap 36 is secured to the pipe to keep the fan unit from falling off. A ring 31 may be added, by welded or screw threaded attachment, to prevent the fan unit from sliding towards the pipe section I4.

It will be perceived that the entire fan and its mounting assembly is oscillatable around the horizontal pipe I6. To prevent this oscillation or, rather, to lock the assembly in any desired position of angular adjustment, a manually operable set screw 38 is carried by one of the plates 22 for engagement with the pipe..

In Fig. l, the two' adjustments (I2.38)are such that the fan is disposed within the upper part of a doorway or window and blowing a current of air transversely therethrough. In the case of a doorway the air is being passed from one room to another as, for example, from a heated living room to a cold bathroom or bederoom. If the frame 'I is a window easement, either warm and smoky air is being expelled or fresh air from the atmosphere is being indrawn. The fan of course may be tilted slightly and/or swung about the axis ofl pipe I3 to redirect the air stream.

In Fig. 4, the fan has been swung entirely away from the door or window frame 40,-and it is forcing air directly downward from the ceiling. It may be oscillated 180 degrees to blow upwardly, or to any intermediate position. In all situations it of course may also be raised or lowered through the sleeve II.

Fig. 6 illustrates part of an arrangement of a plurality of rooms having a common floor level, wherein one of the rooms, {i2- usually the living room-contains a heater 43 Vmounted at iioor level, the other rooms containing no permanently fixed heating appliances. My heat mover is mounted upon the door frame 40 and adjusted to withdraw hot air from the upper part ofY the room 42 and to force it into an adjacent room 44. It should be understood that the door to room 44 normally is closed, and that the heat mover normally is adjusted to obtain a substantially uniform temperature at all levels within the room 42, as explained below. i

When operating to circulate air in the living room only, experience has shown that the fan is fully effective in maintaining a substantially even temperature throughout the room regardless of the direction in which the fan is pointed. However it has been found `that most satisfactory results are obtained, and there are no noticeable drafts at the living level, if the fan is directed somewhat toward and across the ceiling.

A living room heated with a conventional stove or space heater may show a. ytemperature of as much as 90 degrees at the ceiling and as low as degrees at the oor level in extreme cases while the temperature is degrees at a level about five feet up from the floor, but after my heat mover has been in operation a short time such variations in temperatures are substantially eliminated. This is due to the fact that there is a continuous and steady displacement of the heated air from the ceiling which flows downward slowly to replace the cooler air near the floor which in turn is moved upward through the fan and displaced across the ceiling. The warmer air against the cold floor serves to warm it and thus to reduce the hazard to health which is so commonplace in basementless homes where babies and children are forced to play upon the living room oor.

Thus, in a living room equipped with my heat v mover a desired temperature of, say, 72 degrees may be obtained at the five foot level, and there will be at the same time a variation of not over two or three degrees in any area of the room except, 'of course, directly over the heating unit itself.'A Thus, in addition to saving a considerable portion of the fuel otherwise expended in uselessly heating the ceiling, the comfort conditions throughout Vthe room are immeasurably increased.

In addition to its value in maintaining even temperature in the living room my heat mover has been designed to effectively accomplish an entirely different objective by means of a quick and easy adjustment. In most small homes heat is only available from the heater located in the living room, and very little if any heat from it iiows to the adjoining rooms, unless the living room is extremely overheated, and even then the results are poor.

However, as explained earlier, the clamping arrangement allows the fan member to be readily swung over the register with the adjoining upper corner opening of the doorway leading to the other rooms. When so located the fan is entirely up out of the way and in no way obstructs use of the doorway in normal manner. At the same time, however, warm air from the living room passes through the fan and is forcefully directed into the adjoining bedroom, the bathroom, or the hallway leadingr to such rooms. Under these circumstances such rooms receive substantial amounts of heat.; and, as this heated air is driven my mechanical means, it quickly and eilectively permeates all portions of the room.

Obviously, for every cubic foot of warm air removed from the living room another cubic foot must return from the adjoining rooms, and such as the case. This returning air flows across the floor back to the living room where it returns to the base of the heater and is warmed. Thus, without the necessity for any ductwork whatever, we have in substance a forced warm air heating system which is extremely effective in operation and simple in construction and low in cost. Furthermore, it can be installed in any small home without any necessity for structural change; its installation does not occupy any usable space whatever; and its alternate use for maintaining even temperature in the living room makes it an vextremely desirable adjunct to most small homes` It is desirable to have two or more clamp units secured to various doors and windows so that the circulating apparatus can be moved about the house and mounted quickly in any selected position. Also, obviously, two or more pieces of apparatus may be utilized simultaneously as a battery in a single group of rooms.

It should be understood that numerous changes in construction may be made within the spirit and scope of this invention, and that I wish to be limited in customary manner only by a reasonably liberal interpretation of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a mounting device for an electric fan, an approximately semi-cylindrical yoke carrying three pins radially arranged and disposed approximately 90 degrees apart, a motor casing tted within said yoke in spaced relationship thereto and connected to said pins, the ends of said yoke being sufliciently resilient to permit convenient insertion and removal of the motor casing.

2. In the device set forth in claim 1, said pins comprising a cushioning material such as soft rubber.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, an elongated supporting element, a U-shaped member having an apertured base pierced by said element and a pair of arms extended along opposite sides of the latter, a cradle provided at the ends of said arms and an electric fan carried by said cradle, a bridge secured across said arms, said bridge having an aperture pierced by said element, whereby the fan and said member are oscillatable as a unit about said element, and

means for locking the unit in position against oscillation. y

4. In the apparatus defined in claim 3, said element being hollow, and there being an electric cord housed thereby and connected to said electric fan.

5. In combination, a U-shaped bracket having its sides split longitudinally to form a pair of parallel arms and an offset pair of divergent arms, a cradle secured to the ends of said parallel arms, a rotary fan carried by said cradle, and a fan guard unit having a circular rim secured to said divergent arms so that its axis is coincident with that of said rotary fan.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, a stanchion comprising an upright elongated member having a substantially horizontal extension at one end, mounting means receiving said upright member with capacity for vertical and rotational adjustments of the latter, an electric fan disposed adjacent the free end of said extension with its axis transverse to but within a plane containing the axis of said extension, and a device for mounting said fan in the position just described, said device comprising a cradle for the fan motor having an elongated element directly projecting laterally from the motor and telescopically received by said free end of the extension and having adjustment means readily permitting oscillation of said cradle relative to said free end.

7. In a small home unit comprising at least a primary room and an adjoined room at substantially the same iloor level and interconnected by the usual doorway, a heater mounted within and designed to discharge its entire useful heat output at a low level into said primary room, a stanchion mounted upon a jamb of said doorway for both vertical and oscillational adjustment and having a substantially horizontal arm at its upper end that may project into said primary room or extend across the top of the space defined by said doorway, and a dustless electric fan having means mounting it upon the free end of said arm with its axis transverse to and within a plane of the arms axis, said mounting means including a manipulative device for universally adjusting said fan to a multiplicity of positions with respect to said arm, whereby the fan may be positioned to circulate air in substantially any of all directions across the interior of said primary room, or, to distribute heated air through space from the upper portion of said primary room into the adjoined room by way of said doorway.

MILTON A. POWERS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 676,950 Hawkins June 25, 1901 694,648 Jordan Mar. 4, 1902 y1,219,745 Keen Mar. 20, 1917 1,253,983 Kuebler Jan. 15, 1918 1,987,582 Terrell Jan. 8, 1935 2,228,201 CotesI et al. Jan. 7, 1941 2,258,731 Blumenthal Oct. 14, 1941 2,278,843 Follansbee Apr. 7, 1942 2,337,382 Frankland Dec. 21, 1943 2,418,760 Cuccl Apr. 8, 1947 2,420,123 Cooper May 6, 1947 

